Robert De Niro to split up with wife, Grace Hightower
What's the story
Robert De Niro, the veteran Hollywood actor, has several acclaimed films to his name like Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, and Goodfellas. The two time Oscar winner is returning as the mobster Frank Sheeran, in Martin Scorsese's 2019 film The Irishman. Despite his glittering professional life, Robert's personal life is in shambles, as he has split up with his wife of 20 years. Here's more.
Divorce
Things fall apart, the center cannot hold
Robert, aged 75, is divorcing Grace Hightower, aged 63, who he was married to for 20 years. Reportedly, the couple had split up sometime back and were living separately. Robert had also been attending events solo, where he would earlier be accompanied by Grace. Notably, he was alone at the MoMA (Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art) event which honored, acclaimed Hollywood director, Martin Scorsese.
Quote
Blame it on a simple twist of fate
Commenting on the surprising split despite making the marriage work for almost 20 years, a family insider said, "Sometimes things don't work out the way you hope or want them to".
The meeting
Hello, I love you, won't you tell me your name?
Robert first met Grace at a London nightclub in 1987. However, their relationship was eased into, rather than a whirlwind. He divorced Diahnne Abbott, his first wife, in 1988 and went on to date model Toukie Smith for some time. After breaking things off with Toukie, Robert and Grace's relationship bloomed and the two married at their home in Marbletown, New York in 1997.
Previous split
Love was a country they learned to defend
Robert and Grace hit rough waters, filing for divorce in 1999. However, they amicably shared custody of their son Elliott, till 2001, when a nasty custody battle erupted. Luckily, they smoothed things over by 2004 and renewed their vows in 2010 at Robert's Catskill residence. Since they did it once, we wish Robert and Grace the best, hoping they can make their marriage work.